


Swift as a Coursing River

by viceroyvonmutini



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: F/F, Pancakes, because we need fluff, her voice, okay, taylor swift making a guest appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 16:29:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3417632
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viceroyvonmutini/pseuds/viceroyvonmutini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Root can be quite musically gifted, Shaw discovers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Swift as a Coursing River

**Author's Note:**

> This began as a short thing I typed up over whatsapp and ended up being a gift for someone who I owe a great debt. This is the first settlement.   
> The two songs are 'Style' and 'How You Get the Girl' in that order.

Shaw groaned as she reached the door to her flat. The lock was undone: an uninvited guest. And she had a pretty good idea of who that guest might be. 

She turned the handle, not bothering to try the key knowing the door would be unlocked: perhaps it was time she give Root a lesson on personal boundaries.

Then again, this was Root. 

To say she entered the apartment apprehensively was an understatement; her hand drifted in the general vicinity of the gun tucked into the waistband of her jeans as she slowly opened the door, shutting it behind her as her eyes fixed on the open expanse room. 

It didn't take her long to find what she was looking for, though the object of her attention was apparently oblivious to her audience as she flitted about the small kitchen, reaching up into the top shelves as she pulled down a frying pan muttering under her breath something about pans and top shelves and how 'stupendously stupid' that was. Shaw quirked the corners of her mouth up. 

Shaw eyed a webcam on the laptop Root had left sitting on the coffee table in front of the TV, raising a singular eyebrow full of meaning. She was aiming for something along the lines of, 'are you going to tell her I'm here and if so, please don't.' 

She didn't usually talk with AIs. This wasn't her forte. 

Apparently the message got through, for Root received no warning about Shaw's presence, apparently too engrossed in whatever it was she was doing. Shaw silently slipped off her combat boots and made her way softly across the wooden floor to the laptop: with the Machine's help unlocking the device, Shaw found Root had set up a wireless playlist streaming to her implant and, apparently, to a spare ear piece in her other ear. 

Taylor Swift.

Oh she was going to have so much fun.

Shaw turned round to face Root's back. The said woman was singing along almost indecipherably as she poured part of a mixture into a frying pan waiting on the cooker, but it was just loud enough for Shaw to glean the melody and decode which song occupied her; it wasn't out of tune by any means but Root seemed to be very invested as she moved in time with the music, swirling the mixture to cover the expanse of the pan. 

Shaw tilted her head to the side slightly to see what she was cooking.

Pancakes.

Shaw began walking forward, intent on scaring the woman. Call it revenge: sweet, sweet revenge for all those times Root had managed to catch Shaw unawares with her eerily prompt timing, showing up at just the right time and just when Shaw was least expecting it. Oh this was going to be good. She was going to time this so perfectly, pancake mix flying everywhere: maybe she'd get it mid-flip. The possibility of a pancake mix headshot was too good to resist. 

She had the Machine's permission, Shaw reasoned. Not that she needed justification. The satisfaction of the act would be _plenty._

Shaw ducked abruptly down, crouching behind the island table as Root, on the direct other side, spun round to plate up the first pancake. Shaw held her breath, squatting near the ground praying to every AI out there (benevolent and less-so) that Root wouldn't look over the edge because she had no idea how she was going to explain this one. 

Looking for a spare bullet maybe. 

The chorus hit and suddenly Shaw wasn't just holding her breath, she was focusing everything into stifling the shit-eating grin that was working its way up onto her face and perhaps (though she'd never admit it) a heartfelt attempt to stop the laughter choking its way up her throat. 

She let the briefest grin grace her features as she remained stock still, her neck craned up as she saw Root full on _dancing,_ belting out the chorus, the arm holding the spatula raised in the air swaying as she sung along to the admittedly catchy lyrics, and sung it quite well. 

The instant Root turned back to the cooker to pour another portion of mixture Shaw stood up, not wanting to miss anything. She wished she hadn't crushed the latest phone Finch had given her: she'd sell her soul-hell, she'd sell her favourite gun- for some form of recording device at this moment as Root harmonised with Taylor Swift all the while dancing along.

They made a pretty good duo.

Shaw vaguely considered asking the Machine to video it. Then she realised the Machine could see everything and had the memory bank of like...seventy really good remembering elephants. She was pretty sure if she asked, She'd deliver.

Shaw really couldn't stop the grin this time. 

She had to duck again as Root turned around a second time, adding a pancake to the forming pile as she sung, softer but still very much into it, the final verse. 

She was even doing the echoes. 

Shaw didn't think she'd seen anything so...adorable in her life. Apart from Bear. In fact, this might even top Bear.

As the song came to end, Root got louder once again, holding the notes and trying (and failing) to sing multiple parts at once. 

Shaw heard the clatter of spatula and pan on the granite island top and the foot falls of Root as she walked round to the laptop, clearly intent on skipping this next song.

Shaw panicked, quite literally diving behind the corner of the island clothes sliding on the wooden floor as she scrabbled to drag her form completely around to the side Root had once occupied. She peeked her head around as Root skipped to a song she wanted, tapping her foot to the newly found beat as she settled on a tune. 

Still Taylor Swift of course. 

Root strode back to the cooker as Shaw navigated around the edge of the island in time with Root passing, remaining as still and silent as possible. She was pretty proud. Not a sound had escaped her, even though Root was now just full on singing to the whole song. 

Root clearly liked this song. She belted the chorus like her life depended on it, adding her own little flare every so often.

Well, Root had mentioned something about missing in-ear stereo.

As the chorus died down to the second verse, Root began humming once more, singing just a little under her breath.

Now was the time to strike. 

Shaw stood and made her way deftly to where Root stood, monitoring a still cooking pancake as it slowly cooked through. Shaw was directly behind the woman now, watching intently as Root's actions minutely resembled the beats, listening with care as Root's quite frankly very nice singing voice ghosted out of her lips as she sung along.

The second chorus began and Shaw feared Root might start up the dancing again. She didn't, clearly emotionally involved with this one. 

Shaw would never, _ever_ admit it, not even under the oath of a steaming iron, but she kinda liked this song too. 

And the other one as well: it was nice to work out to.

Okay fine. She liked the whole album. 

She wasn't going to scare her.

Shaw waited as long as she dared, staying just out of reach as Root flipped and cared to the pancake, simply revelling in this unadulterated Root. 

Finally Shaw couldn't wait any longer or risk being exposed and snaked her hands around Root's middle, fingers grazing the thin bit of flesh exposed. 

Root tensed, stopping mid-note, her whole body rigid. 

Shaw reached up, softly removing the left earpiece and placing her mouth near Root's ear.

'That's how you got the girl' she whispered, breathe caressing the earlobe and Shaw felt Root tense further in her arms, tooth catching her lip both utterly embarrassed and totally affected by Shaw's proximity.

'Right?' she finished, chuckling slightly before biting down and earning a shaky breath from Root who was slowly relaxing in her arms. 

Shaw pulled away, arms remaining locked around Root, and Root turned her head slightly to meet Shaw's mirthful gaze. 

Root's face was pure...fear. She tried to search for the right thing to say, her face slowly schooling itself into submission but her eyes still wide with questioning and terror. 

Terror seemed the most prominent.

Shaw let a grin show full force. 

Root's eyes drifted to Shaw's grin spreading across her face and it dawned on her exactly how long Shaw had been there. 

Long enough.

Root slowly brought her gaze back up to meet Shaw's, presumably trying to compose herself. 

She opened her mouth to speak, struggling to form a sentence.

Shaw raised an eyebrow expectantly, barely containing her joy at reducing the woman before her to utter silence. 

'Pancakes?'

Shaw wondered how you thanked a Machine. 


End file.
